Ohio has 126 dual-use dispensaries that sell medical and recreational marijuana products, and 22 offer drive-thru service.
Greg Gorospe, an attorney representing the companies that want to open the new dispensaries in Dayton, said about 40% of marijuana sales in Ohio are placed online and that is expected to increase in the future.
Recreational marijuana sales began in Ohio on Aug. 6, and since then consumers have purchased more than $215 million worth of recreational marijuana products.
Drive-thru pot shops
The Dayton Board of Zoning Appeals this month approved multiple variance requests from a couple of companies that want to open marijuana dispensaries with drive-thru windows.
A company called B Cubed Operations Ohio LLC proposes to turn an old PNC branch at 4389 W. Third St. into a new weed dispensary.
The old bank branch, located in the Westown shopping center, shut down more than a decade ago. The shopping complex is home to Pizza Hut, CVS Pharmacy, Family Dollar, Boost Mobile, Citi Trends and other businesses.
Another company called Farmaceutical RX LLC plans to convert a business called A&B Auto Sales at 3300 Needmore Road into a new dispensary.
Marijuana dispensaries are allowed by right at both locations, but the Board of Zoning Appeals must approve drive-thru facilities at these sites, said Jeff Green, a planner with the city of Dayton.
Green said indoor marijuana sales would also be available at both proposed locations.
City staff said the proposed improvements to the auto shop property on Needmore Road would bring it back into compliance with the city’s zoning code. They said the surrounding area is very car-oriented, and there are multiple businesses with drive-thru facilities nearby.
Gorospe, a partner with Ice Miller’s Real Estate Group, said many marijuana buyers place their orders online and like the convenience of picking them up without having to get out of their vehicles.
He said the average transaction time at drive-thru dispensaries is about two and a half minutes. He said customers who do not order online beforehand may have to wait about 15 minutes to complete their purchases.
Five of the seven pot dispensaries in Montgomery County are located in Dayton; two are in Riverside.
Mark Keller and Timothy Bell Sr., who have businesses or property on 3300 block of Needmore Road, oppose the proposal for a new drive-thru dispensary at the auto shop.
Keller said many cars pull into his driveway and drive over his lawn to turn around because Needmore Road has a concrete divider that prevents people from turning left.
Keller said he worries that there will be traffic and safety problems when customers dispensary customers turn left out of the property onto Needmore Road.
Keller said he stopped by a marijuana dispensary on Needmore Road in northwest Dayton and he counted more than 50 cars in less than an hour.
“Needmore is very busy and is a very accident-prone road,” he said. “It’s just going to be a big mess and it’s just not an ideal place ... for what they want to do there.”
The Board of Zoning Appeals approved the use variance application for the dispensary with the condition that the parking be set up in a way to allow cars to enter and exit off of Wagner Ford Road.
Board members said hopefully this would alleviate some of the traffic issues that might arise if vehicles could only exit onto Needmore Road.
Drive-thrus must be approved by the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control, said Jamie Crawford, a spokesperson for the division.
Security and public health and safety are top priorities for the division, Crawford said, and drive-up windows must be attached to the physical dispensary facilities and the areas must be secure and have video surveillance.
Drive-thrus must be well-lit and they must have their own silent alarms.
Crawford said dispensaries with and without drive-thrus must ensure they have security measures and processes in place that prevent unauthorized access to cannabis, theft, loss and diversion.
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